The embodiments herein relate generally to shoe covers.
There exists a variety of shoes with shoelaces including athletic shoes, other sneakers, boots, or the like. The laces on these shoes are exposed to the environment, which increases the chance they collect dirt and become frayed or damaged. This causes the shoe to become unattractive and/or impractical to use. As a result, there is a need to protect the shoelaces and provide an aesthetically appealing cover for these shoes.
Several shoe covers and/or lace protection devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,640,640, 6,988,298, 5,313,719, 6,000,111, 5,566,477, 5,701,688, 5,459,947, 5,671,517, 4,630,383 and 4,536,975, which are secured to the shoe and designed to cover at least a portion of the laces. However, these devices are limited for a variety of reasons including their inability to effectively cover and protect the entire portion of the shoe's laces and tongue. In addition, these devices do not adequately conform to contours of the upper shoe region for different shoe styles and sizes, thereby minimizing the practical use of the devices and comfort of the user. More importantly, these devices use a variety of hook and loop fasteners or alternative fastening components that provide rough surfaces that damage the laces. As a result, these securement mechanisms used are problematic and/or ineffective.
As such, there is a need in the industry for a shoe cover storage apparatus for use with a shoe that addresses the limitations of the prior art, which effectively covers the upper region of the shoe and conforms to contours of shoes having different styles and sizes. There is a further need for a shoe cover storage apparatus that effectively stores the shoelaces and provides a pocket to store various accessories.